Cops in New York City are resigning in flocks thanks to the Biden administration’s “politicization of law enforcement.”
“The NYPD staffing emergency is approaching the point of no return,” said Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch.
NYPD pension data shows that 239 officers have left the police force in January and February, a 36 percent increase from the 176 who fled in the same period last year and a whopping 117 percent jump from the 110 in 2021.
“The NYPD needs to be rebuilt from the ground up — it’s unfixable in its current state,” a veteran Manhattan cop told The New York Post. “It’s not just politics and poor pay … Precinct cops are being forced to work an inhumane amount of overtime, including on their days off, while being penalized for minor uniform and administrative infractions … Meanwhile, precincts barely have enough personnel to meet the minimum required to safely answer 911 calls.”
At the current rate, 1,400 police officers are expected to leave their positions before they are eligible for retirement this year, which is even higher than the record 1,297 early resignations from last year. Some officers are so disgusted that a simple NYPD pension isn’t even enough to keep them in.
The exodus of law enforcement has also affected the entire country. A 2021 survey showed that police departments across the country saw resignations jump by 18 percent and retirements by 45 percent over the previous year, with hiring decreasing by five percent.
According to Lieutenant Tracy McCray, the leader of San Francisco’s police union, 50 of the police force’s less than 2,000 officers in the city have left for smaller, suburban agencies.
“That was a lot of talent for us,” McCray said. “They were great, bright new cops. A couple of them were born and raised in the city.”
A 2020 poll also revealed that only seven percent of police officers would urge their children to pursue a career in law enforcement, while 83 percent showed a “lack of respect for the profession.”
“Suddenly, everyone is telling us how to do our jobs. They’re saying we’re biased, racist, only want to hurt black and brown communities,” said McCray, who is black. “These officers worked in these communities, were invested in these communities. Suddenly, people who don’t know us are saying you’re this, you’re that.”
